sunken head on clown fish! 8/9/10
Hello,
<Hi there>
I am seeking assistance on a sick clown fish I have. I have been one the forums but no one there is quite sure. I believe he is an Amphiprion melanopus though he was marked under the common heading of tomato clown.
<I do agree with both nomena>
I have had him for over two years now. He is very active and bright but he is very thin. He has never put on weight like any of his tank mates. After feeding time my solar wrasse could pass as a mom to be . He has always been thin but seem to very slowly getting worse. At the moment he seems emaciated with a sunken area above the head. He also just tapers into his tail like a wedge and has no real belly. He has grown but very slowly and not to the size I would expect living in a 120. I have attached some pics; they are not very good I don't have a camera that works for aquariums real well. The first is a pic of the clown as a baby when I first got him several years ago and the other are pics of him today. He is fed a varied diet that includes frozen Mysis and brine shrimp, krill, a formula for omnivores and he gets some of the frozen angel and butterfly mix. They are also given formula one and two pellets and dried seaweed. They are usually given one cube of frozen food in the morning and supplemented with pellets in the evening. He eats a good amount of the food; he is not too shy to get in there with the other fish to get his share. As far as living conditions he is in a 120 FO system. It currently has two refugium systems (a 30 gal and 5 gal), a sump (5 gal w/ live rock) and a protein skimmer for filtration. The tank contains : 2 green banded gobies, 1 Valentini puffer, 1 yellow Coris wrasse, 1 solar fairy wrasse, 1 six line wrasse, 1 purple Firefish, 1 tomato clown, 1 Sailfin tang, 1 Pearlscale butterfly, and 1 starry blenny. As far as water parameters the salinity is kept between 1.021-1.022,
<I'd raise this a few thousandths>
the ammonia and nitrite are zero, and the nitrate was at 50 two days ago.
<Way too high; likely a factor here>
I am working on lowering it!
<... see WWM re>
The clownfish was losing weight long before the nitrate level rose. I was wondering if he could have been living with an internal parasite for all these years.
<Yes; a possibility>
If so why do none of the other fish show symptoms?
<Perhaps species specificity; maybe no intermediate host/s for the parasite here>
Is it also possible that he could have some metabolic disorder that is the cause of this slow decline?
<Yes also... genetic vs. ontogenetic/developmental>
Whatever is the case how do I fix things?
<Perhaps improving the nutrition will rectify at least the looks of this fish. I do encourage you to add Spectrum pelleted food; make it the staple for all your fishes here. A bit of background: http://wetwebmedia.com/SpectrumFoodsF.htm>
Thank-you for your time, Jen
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Clownfish questions with 2 attached photos 8/4/10
Hi,
<Howsit?>
I am so glad that you all are available for help. I've scoured the clownfish info regarding disease and habits on the wetwebmedia.com site but still have some questions. Here goes...
Background:
I started my first marine aquarium in early April of this year (2010). It is fish only with live rock. My first addition was a clownfish who is in the attached photos and is the primary focus of my questions. From the start I noticed that he had thin whitish feces. I thought that something could be askew so I asked about it at a local fish store and was told that it's normal.
<Can be; though might also be indicative of biological lumenal issue/s>
I couldn't seem to wrangle if by normal he meant that it was normal due to stress or was a normal trait of the species. I kept an eye on the situation and noticed that the clown's feces consistency and color changed a bit according to diet but trended longish and lightish. I primarily feed Hikari Marine S pellets and roughly two times a week I'll treat him and the rest of the crew with Hikari frozen brine shrimp.
<I'd expand this diet>
The rest of the crew consists of; two Firefish and a yellow watchman goby.
Each individual was added to the aquarium at roughly 2-3 week intervals. I made the newbie mistake of not using a quarantine tank and my fish paid the price. At this point nothing fatal but I'm working to rectify and to do the best by them. What happened was that one of the Firefish showed signs of marine ich. I went to a local fish store and was told to put Quick Cure in my display tank.
<Yeeikes!>
Thank goodness I didn't. I went to the next closest store and they gave me Kick-Ich.
<... worthless>
That simply didn't work for me. I did more investigation and read about the lifecycle of the Cryptocaryon irritans and decided to pull everyone out of the display tank to let it lay fallow for 6 weeks while I began treatment of the fish.
<Ah, good>
After setting up a 20 gallon hospital tank I found another local fish store and asked about treating ich. I was given Seachem Paraguard and was told to treat all of the fish for 21 days. I am currently on day 16 of treatment and it looks like it's so far, so good. After two days all visible signs of ich were gone from the Firefish and it has not returned. With that apparently cleared up my attention has returned to my clownfish. With the fish in a bare bottom aquarium I'm better able to watch for symptoms. Chalk this up to lessons learned.
Specific clownfish questions:
His feces still appear to be whitish and thin. Infection or parasite?
<Perhaps neither... You might/could treat (through foods) with antimicrobial/s, antiprotozoal (Metronidazole). Detailed on WWM>
I do not know if this is meaningful, but, by eye I can tell that he has grown a good bit. When I first got him I had to break all but the smallest pellets in order for him to be able to eat them.
<Look to the Spectrum brand... they make very small pellets>
He has grown past the threshold where pellet size is no longer an issue.
He's a voracious eater when it comes to the pellets and goes nuts for frozen brine shrimp.
<Ah, a good sign>
As far as the other fish go their feces appear to be normal. The clownfish was separated from the rest of the group when he adopted and began defending all PVC pipes in the aquarium. This has made identifying whose poop is whose when vacuuming for water changes. I vacillate between thinking that I'm overreacting and thinking that I should do something. At this point I'm simply confused. IN a fit of "do something" I picked up Seachem Metronidazole but do not want to medicate if it is unnecessary.
<Use only once if you do>
Coupled with the information above and the attached photos below what course of action do you recommend?
<Nothing... as in to "do", treat w/ nothing other than the Paraguard you're finishing up with>
I have one more question. When he rests at night his color fades and he becomes quite pale. Is this normal?
<Yes>
While he was in the display tank I could not/did not observe him closely when the lights were off. In the hospital tank, most of the time, he turns on his side and slowly works his way back and forth across the available width. And sometimes he sits high in the front right corner. From what I've gleaned from the FAQ info this set of behaviors is normal. *fingers crossed*
<Is>
I dose the tank with Paraguard at 10:00 p.m. I figured that by adding the medication to the water its oxygen level is lowered somewhat so I added an airstone (submerged my old Oceanic protein skimmer without the cup, obviously) to boost O2. Other surface agitation/filtration is provided by an AquaClear 20 hang-on power filter. By morning when the clownfish is up and about his color comes back and he looks pretty good. I took the attached pictures just moments before writing this email.
Should I shift the Paraguard treatment away from the fish's dark resting period? Is there something else that I should do?
<I would stick with your current protocol>
I thank you very much for your time,
Nathan
Basic water parameters:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: <5
<And you for sharing Nate. Bob Fenner>

Clownfish... fwd msg... reading re dis. -- 7/4/10
Good day-
Attached is a blurry picture of a new clown with what appears to be an intestinal parasite or infection, I'm sure not clear enough to make a firm diagnosis...but clear enough to get close.
I just received him yesterday and part way through his acclimation, started to show signs of stress. I elected not to put him through my typical Formalin bath (because of his stressed condition) and quickly dipped him
for about 5 seconds and rinsed in freshwater for 5 seconds (all temp. & PH adjusted), then into the QT .
I thought I would loose <or lose> him overnight as he continued to worsen, laying on his side and sometimes upside down.
This morning I surprised to still have him although he was still lying on the bottom sideways....when suddenly he started to pass the whitish stringy fecal matter, with small knots every so often. I would guess internal parasite or such....
I have a tough decision here....
I think typically the parasite would not kill the fish as quickly as the stress, with that in mind...I would be inclined to wait to see if he recovers before administering another form of treatment.
Should I start a Prazi treatment right away in his stressed condition or wait a day or so?
<I'd wait>
Could the Formalin rinse have killed the parasite and he is just now expelling it, and perhaps recover with no further treatment?
<Not if it is/was internal, no>
His tank mates came with him, another clown and a juvenile Dory both of which made it through the full 15 minute Formalin bath and subsequent rinse fine...they would get the treatment also, as I have only the one QT...?
Your advise would be greatly appreciated.
Best regards,
Ron
<... read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/clnfshdisart.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Clownfish Sores 6/7/10
Good Evening,
<Good morrow to you Adam>
Where to start... I moved a pair of clownfish that I had, had in my possession for several years into a new 120G tank (with 60G fuge in the basement, and 40G sump in the basement), after proper cycling etc. Shortly after moving them in, they started to get these white sores on the sides of their bodies / fins, which would eventually slough off exposing the muscle underneath. They would then heal, and the clowns would get new sores, rinse and repeat. None of the other fishes were effected.
<Mmm>
A purple tang I also had in my possession started to show signs of ich, so I took all the fish out of the 120DT and treated them all with hypo. This was the first time I had tried hypo and unfortunately I killed all of my fish save a couple which I gave away because, as far as I can tell, the pH dropped rapidly (less buffering capacity in hyposaline conditions), hard lesson to learn.
<Yes... much more than "salts" lost utilizing this technique
(hyposalinity); carbonate, bicarbonate among others>
Fast forward 3 weeks later, I bought two new clownfish and a mandarin.
Since I did not have any fish in the tank I did not QT, as I can get the clowns out if need be. If you are wondering about the mandarin, the tank is now close to 3/4 of a year old, and there are plenty of pods for him, he is significantly plumper now than when I purchased him, and there are still plenty of pods for him to eat.
Now to the problem. The new clowns I purchased started to show signs of this ulceration that my old clowns suffered from. There is no change in their behavior, no change in appetite, no change in breathing, no signs of disease except they get these nasty sores. I would have taken them out a while ago and treated them in QT, however, my research has no been able to come up with what exactly I am treating. Whatever it is, is not fatal. The sores seem self limiting, however like I mentioned before, once one heals usually another starts. Initially there appears to be a cottony growth, which loosens, and then falls off. If the sore is on the body, the muscle is exposed, and if it is on a fin, the whole part of the fin ends up missing.
Does not look like ich, velvet, or brook.
<Agreed>
More details about my tank. It is a 5 foot 120, lit with 3 MH, two Vortechs, apex controller, dose bulk reef supply 2 part with Mag, have a Deltec and octo skimmer, all of my parameters are those to be expected of a successful reef tank. Undetectable ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and phosphate.
450 Calcium, 9 Alk, temp is 77, salinity is 1.025. Corals are doing great.
Mandarin is also apparently disease free.
<All good data>
Picture CF1 shows the female with an early sore on her tail. Then CF2 shows
its progression. CF3 shows the female with an end stage lesion where it is no longer getting any bigger. CF3 also shows the male with a lesion at the base of his tail, and then another starting on his tail.
OCF1 is a picture of one of my old clown fish that had a sore on his body.
Same type of sores that these are getting.
Thank you for your time,
Adam
<These marks look to be sores... from burns/stings, likely from the Euphylliids in your photos, kept in the same system. Either your Clowns will "make peace" with the Euphyllia, Catalaphyllia present, or perish from them. Mmm, do read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/clnfshanmf7.htm
and as much of the linked files in the series (above)... Bob Fenner>

Facial tumor? Clownfish dis. 4/20/10
I apologize for not being more read in the subject of fish pathologies; however, my 3 year old clown has developed a fairly rapidly growing growth on his cheek over the past week. It currently is approximately 6mm x 4mm x 3mm. It is not discolored. He is able to eat and has not lost his appetite. It appears hard, but I have to admit I have not felt it. I am hoping that you may point me in the right direction, as far as the most likely causes, that I may research them further. Thank you
75g mixed reef w/ 40g refugium
Water parameters within normal limits
1 other clown x2 years
Anthias x4 months
Note: Purchased two other Anthias with the remaining Anthias, both ate well but perished (disappeared) within 2 weeks of purchase. (No surfing to my knowledge.)
<Mmm... Could/would you send along a well-resolved photo of this growth?
Most such processes can be traced to a mal-interaction with a Cnidarian "host"... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/clnfshanmf7.htm
Bob Fenner>

Re: Facial tumor? 4/21/10
Here are some pictures, let me know what you think. Thanks for your help
<Is as I suspected... welts, from stings. Read where you were referred. B>

clownfish with welts -- 03/23/10
Good morning.
<G'morrow to you>
I was wondering if it is common for a clownfish to get welts on it's fins when it first starts to host an anemone or coral.
<Yes it is>
I know it isn't Cryptocaryon irritans because I have dealt with that in the past and unlike a sprinkling of pin sized or pin head sized dots these are more like welts/pimples on the caudal and pectoral fins and one close to the dorsal.
<Agreed>
I saw these before on another pair of clownfish but only one or two spots (but in the same areas) that to my knowledge never hosted my BTA, but who knows what happens when the lights are out. Since moving those clowns to my frag tank the welts cleared up. My newer clowns spend all day in the anemone for the most part but have only been together with the anemone since Saturday ( after 5 weeks of QT with no incident). None of the other fish (a gramma and a YW goby) have ever had these marks. No excessive slime, no torn fins, no heavy breathing or other signs of illness like flashing either. They have voracious appetites as well ( and even feed the anemone!) I have attached a few pictures. The pictures of the spot by the dorsal shows its "pimpleness" more but the spots on her tail are the same, as well as the few on her pectoral, but harder to get a clear picture of. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Keith
<I do think this is likely "getting to know you" reaction markings... though your last image, showing the Zoanthids "next door", may indicate a mal-interaction as well. Bob Fenner>